Fire-preventive device for motion-picture apparatus.



. H. eoopwm. FIRE PREVENTIVE DEVIGE FOR. MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1913. 1,1 1 1,376 Patented Sept. 22, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' luvs/(ram WITNESSES;-

H. GOODWIN.

FIRE PREVENTIVE DEVICE FOR MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1913.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MN wmm w km mm iii+ [NYE/(T08 A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAL GOODWIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-PREVENTIVE DEVICE FOR MOTION-PICTURE APPARATUS.

ful Improvements in-Fire-Preventive Devices for Motion-Picture Apparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motion picture apparatus, andits object is to provide a .safety device to prevent spreading of fire to the film magazine in case that portion of the film which is passing through the projecting apparatus should take fire, and also to instantaneously extinguish the arc lamp of the apparatus, and at the same time to switch on the lights of the auditorium. The necessity for providing a device of this i kind has arisen from the inadequacy of present methods in suppressing p-anlcs in motion-picture theaters. Should the film take fire, the blaze will be sudden and very bright in view of the highly inflammable material of which the film is made, and the flash will be clearly visible in the darkened auditorium. Hence a cry of fire will arouse the audience, and a stampede ensues, often resulting in loss of life. The act of turning on the lights of the auditorium does a great deal toward suppressing a panic of this sort, but it very often happens that the attendants lack the presence of mind, when confronted with such asituation, to think of turning on the lights, or the switch board is or becomes inaccessible. I have therefore devised a means whereby the lights of the auditorium are instantly turned on in case the film takes fire, and at the same time, the lamp of the projecting apparatus is extinguished, and the film is cut so that the fire cannot reach the film magazines.

This object is attained by means of a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation of a fragment of a motion picture apparatus equipped with my safety device. Fig. '2 is a perspective detail showing the fusible device. Fig. 3 is a cross section through the lower film magazine. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cutting apparatus and the switch mechanism, the circuits controlled by said switch mechanism being shown diagram- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

Application filed April 22, 1913. Serial no. 762,806.

matically. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the cutting mechanism. Fig. 6 is -a side elevation of the switch.

, Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 denotes the casing of an ordinary motion picture projecting apparatus having a backlng plate, 11 and a gate 11 between which the film travels, and provided with alined apertures through which the picture is projected. Above the casing is a film magazine 12 containing a reel 13 for the film, and below the casing is a magazine 14 also containing a reel 15 for the film. able mechanism, which has not been illustrated as it is well known and forms no part of the present invention, unwinds the film from one reel and winds it on the other. The projecting apparatus, per so, also forms no part of the present invention, and therefore has not been illustrated in detail, only so much of the apparatus being shown as will sufiice for an understanding of the invention.

The film cutting device will be described first, this device being designed to cut, 'in case of fire, the exposed; portion of the film which is between the magazines 12 and 1-'. and thus prevent the spread of fire to the remaining portions of the film On the respective reels in the magazines. This device is constructed as follows: On top of the film magazine 14 is secured a plate 16 having aslit 17 which registers with an opening. 18 in the top of the magazine through which opening the film enters the magazine and passes to'the reel 15. The plate 16 carries a roller bearing member or support comprising a base plate 19 having a slit 19f registering with the slit 17, and provided with upstanding flanges 20 at opposite edges. A part of the plate 19 is spaced from the plate 16, as indicated at 21, for a purpose to be presently described. The flanges '20 support two parallel rollers 22 spaced slightly apart so that the film may pass therebetween, and located adjacent to the slit 17. One of the rollers is stationary, and the other roller is free to move toward and from the same, by making oblique slots 23 in the flanges 20 in which the journals of the last-mentioned roller loosely seat. The slots are inclined toward the stationary roller, in view of which it will be evident that the other roller is free to move toward andfrom the stationary roller. The purpose of the movable roller is to allow a A suitpatched film to pass, 'such a film having a double thickness. Whenthe patched portion of the film passes the rollers, the movable roller yields and allows said portion to pass. On the bottom of the plate 16, adjacent tothe slit 17, is another pair of rollers 24 between which the film also passes.

These last-mentioned rollers are spaced apart sufficiently to allow. a patched film to pass freely therebetween, and they are carried by a suitable bracket 25 mounted on the under side of the plate 16.- The film, after passing between the rollers 22, and through the slit 17, then passes between the rollers 24, and through the opening 18 to the reel 15-. The rollers of both sets are diametrically enlarged at their-ends so that they-will come in contact with the edge portions of the film only, and not with the picture portion.

Pivotally mounted on the plate 16 is a knife comprising 'a blade 26 having at one end a circular or disk-like enlargement 27 provided with a central aperture to receive the pivot 28. One of the edges of the blade has a recess 29, the inner edge of which is angular and beveled to form a pointed cutting edge 30. The knife swings horizontally and reaches across-the slit 17 to sever the film. j The angular or pointed cutting edge gives a better shearing effect than a straight edge, as the film is first pierced at or near the middle and the cut is given a positive start. The blade will invariably cut the film from edge to edge without the possibility of one edge of the film being curled in or caught. Normally, the knife is held retracted, clear of the slit, so that it will not interfere with the movement of the film. One side of the slit 17' is also beveled, whereby a shearing effect is produced when the knife swings across the slit. The knife is actuated by a spring 31 coiled around the pivot 28 and suitably anchored at one end, its other end being connected to the inner part 27 of the blade, and on the edge of this part is a shoulder or abutment 32 engageable by a pivoted detent 33 for holding the knife in retracted position. The detent ispivoted at When the detent is withdrawn, the knife is released and swung around to sever the film. A spring 34 engages the detent and holds it against the shoulder 32. The knife, when released, sweeps under the raised portion 21 of the plate 19. A cam-shaped disk 35 is provided for actuating the detent 33 to release the knife, said disk being pivoted at 36 on the plate 16 and having a link connection 37 with a rocker arm 38 fixed on a vertical rock shaft 39. A light coiled spring 40 is connected at one end to the disk .and at the other end to the pivot 33. This spring tends to swing the disk in the direction of the detent to disengage the same from the shoulder 32. The tension of the The film u ng mechanism herein der scribed is duplicated on the bottom of the magazine 12 so that the film will be cut at each magazine.

In order that the cutting mechanism may I automatically be put into operation when the film takes fire, the following devices are employed: To the shaft 39 is fixed an arm 39, the latter being at the same level as the top of the backing plate 11 and gate 11. To the freeend of the arm is connected it fusible wire 41 which is carried to the curved end 42 of a tube 43 secured to the casing 10 by a suitable clamp 43. The fusible wire is suitably fastened to the end of-the tube 43 opposite the curved end. The tube 43 passes close to the entrance end of the plate 11 and gate 11 and has an opening or slot 44 opposite the same through which opening the fusible wire is exposed. The tube 43, in front of the slot 44, carries a guide roller 45 for the film and a companion guide roller 46 is carried by the top of the gate 11, these rollers being on opposite sides of the film.

The parts are placed in position ready for operation by rotating the shaft 39 to retract the disk 35, this movement of the disk placing the spring 40 under tension, after which the fusible Wire 41 is drawn out of the tube 43 and fastened to the arm 39*, whereupon the shaft is locked and the disk is held retracted. The knife 26 is now retracted until the detent 33 engages the shoulder 32. The knife is now locked in retracted position and the outer end of the detent is in contact with the disk 35, as shown in Fig. 4. If now that portion of the film passing between the plate 11 and the gate 11 should catch fire, the heat will immediately fuse that portion'of the Wire 41 which is exposed through the slot 44, by reason of the proximity of the wire to the film. As the Wire is severed, the shaft 39 is released, and the spring 40 pulls the disk 35 around to trip the detent 33.

The knife 26 is now released and it is swung by the spring 31 to sever the film. The cutting mechanism at the top magazine 12 is actuated in the same manner and at the same time. Thus the film is cut in two places and the burning portion isprevented from getting into the magazines.

A switch is provided which turns on the lights of the auditorium and extinguishes the lamp of the picture projecting apparatus at the same time the film is cut as hereinbeforedescribed. This switch is a doublecontacts 48 mounted "on a suitable base 49.

In the path of the free ends of the blades are contacts 50 and 51, respectively, the former being wired to the lamp 52 of the projecting apparatus, and from the latter lead the wires of the li hting circuit 53 of the auditorium. The feed wires 54 from the mains 55 are connected to the contacts 48'. Springs 56 areconnected to the switch blades in such a manner that said blades, when released automatically swin into engagement with the contacts 51. etent 57 normally holds the switchblades in engagement with the contacts 50. A wire 58 connects the detent 57 with one of the knives 26, so that when the latter swings to cut the film, the detent is disengaged from the switch blades and the latter are rocked by the springs 56 to make the contact at 51. Thus the lamp 52 is "at once extinguished, and the lights in the auditorium are switched on. The lighting circuit will be so wired that it can be controlled independent of the automatic switch.

I claim:

1. In a motion picture apparatus a switch controlling the lamp of the apparatus and the lighting circuit of the auditorium, a detent for holding the switch in position to close the lamp circuit, means for throwing the switch to open the lamp circuit and to close the lighting circuit when the detent is tripped, and means including a fusible element for controlling the detent.

2. In a motion picture apparatus, a switch controlling the lamp of the apparatus and the lighting circuit of the auditorium, a detent for holding the switch in position to close the lamp circuit, means for throwing the switch to open the lamp circuit and to close the lighting circuit when the detent is tripped, means for severing the film, a connection between said means and the aforesaid detent, and a fusible element controlling the severing means. k

3. In a motion icture projecting ap aratus having a bacl ing plate and a ate e tween which the film passes, means or sevfusible element in said tu e, sai

ering the film, means for locking said severing means, and a fusible element controlling said locking means, said fusible element being located remote from the film severing means and in roximity to the film passage between the a oresaid backing plate and the gate of the projecting apparatus.

4. In a motion picture projecting apparatus having a backing plate and a gate between which the film passes, a tube at the backing plate and the gate, said tube having an openlng which is in proximity to the film passage between said late and gate, a element being exposed through the opening in the tube, and means for severing the film, said means being controlled by the aforesaid fusible element.

5. In a motion picture apparatus, a cutter mounted to swing across the film to sever the same, a detent for holding the cutter ,retracted, a pivoted member engageable with the detent for tripping the same to release the cutter, a rock shaft operatively connected to said member, a fusible element connected to the rock shaft for locking the same and holding the aforesaid member retracted, and a sprin connected to said member for actuating t e same when the fusible-element is ruptured.

6. The combination with a motion picture projecting apparatus, of means for severing the film, means for locking said film severing means, and a fusible element having a connection with said locking means for controlling the same, said fusible element being located remote from the film severing means and in proximity to the optical axis of the projecting apparatus and the film at this point.

' In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HAL GOODWIN.

Witnesses H. G. BATCHELOR, S. J. LEHRER. 

